Trace element dating by 210Pb: Application to an estuarine lagoon

The Lagoa Olho D′Água (Pernambuco, Brazil), is a 3.75 km2 lagoon which receives freshwater from both the Atlantic Ocean and Jaboatão River. The lagoon is under severe degradation process caused by pollutants released from industrial facilities and by the discharge of untreated domestic sewage. This contamination can be traced by analyzing sediments, which are the ultimate sink of pollutants that are derived from anthropogenic activities. The 210Pb dating method is the principal technique for characterizing sediments on a time scale spanning over the last 100–150 years. The objective of this study was to trace the time evolution of metal contaminants in sediments and its correlation with the industrial history of the area.